Journey to the distant planet of Emerald, haunted by ice...
Travel to a future so inconceivably distant that Death itself is a thing of the ancient past...
Meet warriors, mentors, companions and enemies unlike any you have ever seen...
The Sword Sundergost: from the fertile mind of Alexander Marshall comes a complex world of Gods, legends, dragons, ancient evil and unlikely heroes…
The Great Worm groaned,
Great will be the deeds
Of this Sword, and it will serve with strength
The sovereignty of men, even thy
Line of long-awaited lords in time—
But its greatest deed will be in the
Service of Dragons...
Ryna is born to greatness, but she doesn't know it. When a giant warrior arrives in the kingdom of Restonia, bringing with him horrifying evil, her life is changed forever. Her destiny leads her all the way to the dark island of Wormstone, and to the Jewel Sterreth, to the peril of all who live in the wide realms of Gandria…
The Children of Tara: Syra the fiery-haired, full of passion but poisoned by evil; and Arime, naive and impulsive, driven by youth. Into their world steps Tarazion, a mighty Herald of Raendu, whose dreams made the world. Realms will rise or fall based on the decisions made by these children — and in the East awaits the greatest challenge of all…
On the isle of Wormstone stands the Citadel of the Four Winds, concealing a living darkness which threatens to give Dare-kor, leader of the Morndred, power over the souls of all who dwell in Gandria. The heir to the High Throne wanders witless in wild places — but the great Golden Blade, the Sword Sundergost, needs to find its way to the final confrontation with what lies beneath Wormstone…
For lovers of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Ursula K. Le Guin and epic fantasy on a grand scale, The Sword Sundergost is here made available in one giant volume for the first time.
Download the Illustrated Companion for free by going to the Free Items page
THE MISTRESS OF TARA: Book One of The Sword Sundergost
Ryna is born to greatness, but she doesn't know it. When a giant warrior arrives in the kingdom of Restonia, bringing with him horrifying evil, her life is about to change. Sundergost the Golden, Dragon's Bane, awaits - but her destiny leads elsewhither, all the way to the dark island of Wormstone, to the peril of all who live in the wide realms of Gandria. The fate of the world will depend on whether Ryna ever finds out who she really is...
The First book of the Sundergost Trilogy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2021
THE MISTRESS OF TARA
The first book of Alexander Marshall’s fantasy trilogy; The Sword Sundergost.
An excellent story focusing on Ryna, a brash and adventurous orphan who through a bit of luck (or perhaps bad luck), bravery and determination becomes the ruler of Tara.
Unsure of her heritage she sets out to explore the world with a band of heroes who attempt to cleanse the land of Gandria of the evil Reavers.
But the seeds of a deeper evil are only just beginning to surface.
Told in the first person, I found myself deeply involved with the main character.
Highly recommended for fans of Tolkien and C.S Lewis
Excellent story.
THE CHILDREN OF TARA: Book Two of The Sword Sundergost
The Children of Tara: Syra the fiery-haired, full of passion but poisoned by evil; and Arime, naive and impulsive, driven by youth. Into their world steps Tarazion, a mighty Herald of Raendu, bringing the answers to secrets they didn't know they possessed. And deep under the earth, the legendary Sword Sundergost calls, destined to change the whole of Gandria. Realms will rise or fall based on the decisions made by these children - and in the East awaits the greatest challenge of all...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2021
CHILDREN OF TARA
The second book in Alexander Marshall’s fantasy trilogy; The Sword Sundergost.
The darkest of the trilogy, Children of Tara continues the story with one of Ryna’s Children, Arime. A sensitive young man soon thrown into the darker (literally) events as he seeks the path to find the answer to destroying the evil which is destroying the kingdom.
A good proportion of the story taking part under the ground where dragons live in self-imposed exile. You would have thought that it would be difficult to have an adventure in the dark, but Marshall does an excellent job of raising the fear factor, tension and sense of total smallness in the world.
We do have a massive cliff-hanger at the end of the story that is more than a little dark, but I suppose The Empire Strikes Back had a dark ending too.
It most definitely leaves you wanting to read the next book.
I was impressed with the way Arime grows up. Marshall got inside the mind of an irritating child, put him through hardships and he emerged into the light as a brooding, thoughtful leader.
Another excellent reading experience for fans of Tolkien and C.S Lewis.
WORMSTONE: Book Three of The Sword Sundergost
Wormstone: the Citadel of the Four Winds conceals a living darkness which threatens to give Dare-kor, leader of the Morndred, power over the souls of all who dwell in Gandria. Long has been the reach of the Hooded Man, stealing even the bride of the High King, leaving him wandering witless in wild places. But the great Golden Blade, the Sword Sundergost, makes its way under the earth to the final confrontation with what lies beneath Wormstone, as the Song of Valkurn predicted,
The Great Worm groaned, Great will be the deeds
Of this Sword, and it will serve with strength
The sovereignty of men, even thy
Line of long-awaited lords in time—
But its greatest deed will be in the
Service of Dragons...
A Fantastic conclusion to the Sundergost Trilogy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2021
WORMSTONE
The third book in Alexander Marshall’s fantasy trilogy; The Sword Sundergost.
This book is told from the point of view of Nawn, a humble man who proves to be a loyal friend and companion to the traumatised Arime. As the story progresses, he truly steps up to the plate as a hero of the people. But he never loses his charm. He's an endearing character.
The two travel to Wormstone and face the true evil behind the Reavers and their leaders in a terrible showdown.
I can't imagine the amount of work that has gone into all this over the years.
With notes and appendices about the history and creation of Gandria towards the end; Lineages stretching back thousands of years, complex allegiances and gods, one realises this is world building on a grand scale.
A highly recommended, total joy to read.
I predict that in years to come, The Sword Sundergost trilogy will be hailed as a classic.
